diff --git a/src/rocksdb.rs b/src/rocksdb.rs
index 00a3729..5c0974e 100644
--- a/src/rocksdb.rs
+++ b/src/rocksdb.rs
@@ -362,6 +362,40 @@ impl RocksDB {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn get_cf(&self, cf_name: &str, key: &[u8]) -> RocksDBResult<RocksDBVector, String> {
+        let cf = self.cfs.get(cf_name);
+        if cf.is_none() {
+            return RocksDBResult::Error(format!("Invalid column family: {}", cf_name).to_string());
+        }
+        unsafe {
+            let readopts = rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_readoptions_create();
+            if readopts.0.is_null() {
+                return RocksDBResult::Error("Unable to create rocksdb read \
+                    options.  This is a fairly trivial call, and its failure \
+                    may be indicative of a mis-compiled or mis-loaded rocksdb \
+                    library.".to_string());
+            }
+
+            let val_len: size_t = 0;
+            let val_len_ptr = &val_len as *const size_t;
+            let mut err: *const i8 = 0 as *const i8;
+            let err_ptr: *mut *const i8 = &mut err;
+            let val = rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_get_cf(self.inner, readopts.clone(),
+                *cf.unwrap(), key.as_ptr(), key.len() as size_t, val_len_ptr,
+                err_ptr) as *mut u8;
+            rocksdb_ffi::rocksdb_readoptions_destroy(readopts);
+            if !err.is_null() {
+                return RocksDBResult::Error(error_message(err));
+            }
+            match val.is_null() {
+                true => RocksDBResult::None,
+                false => {
+                    RocksDBResult::Some(RocksDBVector::from_c(val, val_len))
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     pub fn create_cf(&mut self, name: &str, opts: &Options) -> Result<(), String> {
         let cname = match CString::new(name.as_bytes()) {
             Ok(c) => c,
@@ -802,52 +836,3 @@ fn iterator_test() {
     let opts = Options::new();
     assert!(RocksDB::destroy(&opts, path).is_ok());
 }
-
-#[test]
-pub fn test_column_family() {
-    let path = "_rust_rocksdb_cftest";
-
-    // should be able to create column families
-    {
-        let mut db = RocksDB::open_default(path).unwrap();
-        let opts = Options::new();
-        match db.create_cf("cf1", &opts) {
-            Ok(_) => println!("cf1 created successfully"),
-            Err(e) => {
-                panic!("could not create column family: {}", e);
-            },
-        }
-    }
-
-    // should fail to open db without specifying same column families
-    {
-        match RocksDB::open_default(path) {
-            Ok(_) => panic!("should not have opened DB successfully without specifying column
-            families"),
-            Err(e) => assert!(e.starts_with("Invalid argument: You have to open all column families.")),
-        }
-    }
-
-    // should properly open db when specyfing all column families
-    {
-        match RocksDB::open_cf(&Options::new(), path, &["cf1"]) {
-            Ok(_) => println!("successfully opened db with column family"),
-            Err(e) => panic!("failed to open db with column family: {}", e),
-        }
-
-    }
-    // should be able to write, read, merge, batch, and iterate over a cf
-    {
-
-    }
-    // should b able to drop a cf
-    {
-        let mut db = RocksDB::open_cf(&Options::new(), path, &["cf1"]).unwrap();
-        match db.drop_cf("cf1") {
-            Ok(_) => println!("cf1 successfully dropped."),
-            Err(e) => panic!("failed to drop column family: {}", e),
-        }
-    }
-
-    assert!(RocksDB::destroy(&Options::new(), path).is_ok());
-}
diff --git a/test/test_column_family.rs b/test/test_column_family.rs
index b79309d..8935596 100644
--- a/test/test_column_family.rs
+++ b/test/test_column_family.rs
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
    See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
    limitations under the License.
 */
-use rocksdb::{Options, RocksDB, Writable, Direction};
+use rocksdb::{Options, RocksDB, RocksDBResult, Writable, Direction, MergeOperands};
 
 #[test]
 pub fn test_column_family() {
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ pub fn test_column_family() {
 
     // should be able to create column families
     {
-        let mut db = RocksDB::open_default(path).unwrap();
+        let mut opts = Options::new();
+        opts.create_if_missing(true);
+        opts.add_merge_operator("test operator", test_provided_merge);
+        let mut db = RocksDB::open(&opts, path).unwrap();
         let opts = Options::new();
         match db.create_cf("cf1", &opts) {
             Ok(_) => println!("cf1 created successfully"),
@@ -33,7 +36,9 @@ pub fn test_column_family() {
 
     // should fail to open db without specifying same column families
     {
-        match RocksDB::open_default(path) {
+        let mut opts = Options::new();
+        opts.add_merge_operator("test operator", test_provided_merge);
+        match RocksDB::open(&opts, path) {
             Ok(_) => panic!("should not have opened DB successfully without specifying column
             families"),
             Err(e) => assert!(e.starts_with("Invalid argument: You have to open all column families.")),
@@ -42,15 +47,49 @@ pub fn test_column_family() {
 
     // should properly open db when specyfing all column families
     {
-        match RocksDB::open_cf(&Options::new(), path, &["cf1"]) {
+        let mut opts = Options::new();
+        opts.add_merge_operator("test operator", test_provided_merge);
+        match RocksDB::open_cf(&opts, path, &["cf1"]) {
             Ok(_) => println!("successfully opened db with column family"),
             Err(e) => panic!("failed to open db with column family: {}", e),
         }
-
     }
     // should be able to write, read, merge, batch, and iterate over a cf
     {
+        let mut opts = Options::new();
+        opts.add_merge_operator("test operator", test_provided_merge);
+        let mut db = match RocksDB::open_cf(&opts, path, &["cf1"]) {
+            Ok(db) => {
+                println!("successfully opened db with column family");
+                db
+            },
+            Err(e) => panic!("failed to open db with column family: {}", e),
+        };
+        assert!(db.put_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"v1").is_ok());
+        assert!(db.get_cf("cf1", b"k1").unwrap().to_utf8().unwrap() == "v1");
+        let p = db.put_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"a");
+        assert!(p.is_ok());
+        db.merge_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"b");
+        db.merge_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"c");
+        db.merge_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"d");
+        db.merge_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"efg");
+        let m = db.merge_cf("cf1", b"k1", b"h");
+        println!("m is {:?}", m);
+        assert!(m.is_ok());
+        db.get(b"k1").map( |value| {
+                match value.to_utf8() {
+                Some(v) =>
+                println!("retrieved utf8 value: {}", v),
+                None =>
+                println!("did not read valid utf-8 out of the db"),
+                }
+                }).on_absent( || { println!("value not present!") })
+        .on_error( |e| { println!("error reading value")}); //: {", e) });
 
+        let r = db.get_cf("cf1", b"k1");
+        assert!(r.unwrap().to_utf8().unwrap() == "abcdefgh");
+        assert!(db.delete(b"k1").is_ok());
+        assert!(db.get(b"k1").is_none());
     }
     // should b able to drop a cf
     {
@@ -63,3 +102,25 @@ pub fn test_column_family() {
 
     assert!(RocksDB::destroy(&Options::new(), path).is_ok());
 }
+
+fn test_provided_merge(new_key: &[u8],
+                       existing_val: Option<&[u8]>,
+                       mut operands: &mut MergeOperands)
+                       -> Vec<u8> {
+    let nops = operands.size_hint().0;
+    let mut result: Vec<u8> = Vec::with_capacity(nops);
+    match existing_val {
+        Some(v) => {
+            for e in v {
+                result.push(*e);
+            }
+        },
+        None => (),
+    }
+    for op in operands {
+        for e in op {
+            result.push(*e);
+        }
+    }
+    result
+}